Joe and working class values
Joe Wurzelbacher is not as educated as most of us here. He couldn't refute Das Kapital with quotations from Wealth of Nations. He couldn't explain Obama's or McCain's tax plans and how they would affect him. But that doesn't matter andit doesn't matter whether he would be better off under obama's tax plan or McCain's either. I think many here are making some of the same mistakes as Thomas Frank made in What's the Matter With Kansas. Its about values, working class values. And I'm really not all that sure how much similarity those working class values are to the liberal educated values.
Among the most left leading liberals there's a very real sense of compassion and a desire to take action based on that compassion. That's all good, imo, but so often the tendancy is toward some sort of welfare.
The thought of welfare rubs against the grain of working class people. You might call it the protestant work ethic, this belief that one should work for what they have and get to keep what they work for. Tax policy is progressive in this country and most accept that as generally fair. Obama's plan to raise taxes on the wealthest 5% is probably seen as fair given the benifits those same 5% have had over these at least last 8 years. But when obama so clearly says he is taking from the top 5% so that he can give to the lower 95% it smacks of redistribution of wealth, not progressive taxation. When Obama choses such an inept way of describing his tax plan, "spreading the wealth around" this is offensive to many working class people who don't want wealth spread around in that manner. It simply does not matter that they're the ones getting something.
Let me give you an example. I grew up working class. I internalized those values. I still believe in them. I didn't make enough money to pay income taxes last year. In May I got all I paid in back. In August I got an extra few hundred dollars from the stimulis package. Certainly it helped me, certainly I was happy to get it. But ethically it didn't feel right. It was a welfare payment I didn't need and I didn't ask for. Now Obama and Pelosi are talking about what appears to me to be another stimulis package early next year, couched in terms of early rebates.
Working class people vote their values, whether those values are social or economic, and will vote against their economic interests based on those values. To be sure those who are struggleing and have a sense that they have not gotten their fair share of the economic pie want change, want to see a fairer economic society. There are liberal programs to move toward that goal and Obama does have some plans to move toward a fairer society. But each time Obama says raise taxes on 5% and lower taxes on 95% working class folks hear, as Joe said, Robin Hood, take from the rich and give to the poor. Hence shouts of socialism even from those who would likely benifit. To make such a direct connection rubs negatively against a core working class value, that one should work for, earn, what they get. This, I believe, is one reason that Obama is having trouble winning over working class voters. He's not speaking to their values.
Among the most left leading liberals there's a very real sense of compassion and a desire to take action based on that compassion. That's all good, imo, but so often the tendancy is toward some sort of welfare.
The thought of welfare rubs against the grain of working class people. You might call it the protestant work ethic, this belief that one should work for what they have and get to keep what they work for. Tax policy is progressive in this country and most accept that as generally fair. Obama's plan to raise taxes on the wealthest 5% is probably seen as fair given the benifits those same 5% have had over these at least last 8 years. But when obama so clearly says he is taking from the top 5% so that he can give to the lower 95% it smacks of redistribution of wealth, not progressive taxation. When Obama choses such an inept way of describing his tax plan, "spreading the wealth around" this is offensive to many working class people who don't want wealth spread around in that manner. It simply does not matter that they're the ones getting something.
Let me give you an example. I grew up working class. I internalized those values. I still believe in them. I didn't make enough money to pay income taxes last year. In May I got all I paid in back. In August I got an extra few hundred dollars from the stimulis package. Certainly it helped me, certainly I was happy to get it. But ethically it didn't feel right. It was a welfare payment I didn't need and I didn't ask for. Now Obama and Pelosi are talking about what appears to me to be another stimulis package early next year, couched in terms of early rebates.
Working class people vote their values, whether those values are social or economic, and will vote against their economic interests based on those values. To be sure those who are struggleing and have a sense that they have not gotten their fair share of the economic pie want change, want to see a fairer economic society. There are liberal programs to move toward that goal and Obama does have some plans to move toward a fairer society. But each time Obama says raise taxes on 5% and lower taxes on 95% working class folks hear, as Joe said, Robin Hood, take from the rich and give to the poor. Hence shouts of socialism even from those who would likely benifit. To make such a direct connection rubs negatively against a core working class value, that one should work for, earn, what they get. This, I believe, is one reason that Obama is having trouble winning over working class voters. He's not speaking to their values.
